


Bridges are Meant to be Crossed

by kantokraze



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Depressed Lance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Family, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Rating May Change, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Acceptance, klance, self doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2018-07-19 07:29:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7351726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kantokraze/pseuds/kantokraze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance never seems to let anyone on with personal thoughts. He bottles it up, and tries to conceal what he is truely feeling with sarcasm and hilarity.<br/>He knew one day someone would figure it out, and that's how it should be. Because just as promises are made to be broken, bridges are made to be crossed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sleepless

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to malaproposmongrel to being my little test subject when it comes to tossing around ideas. ❤

She missed him. So much that "missed" wasn't enough to describe that fact, that she longed for him. She was desperate at this point, as acting courageous and noble was draining to her, because in her heart, she was just as how she had been left ten thousand years ago. She was left with an undying sadness and bitterness that coated her feelings. She longed for every part of her home that had been so crudely destroyed.  
Perhaps that the dreams she had once enjoyed had become nightmares, as she watched the beautiful flower meadows she used to roam through had become something she could no longer touch. She could not feel the silkiness of their petals, she could not smell the sweet scent of the Altean flower, she could not feel the thick stems and leaves caress and tickle her ankles as she ran through the fields that she once called her favorite place in the universe. She could no longer call them that because they no longer existed in this universe, or in any. Forever, those flowers and those people and her home, was a distant memory. More and more, she had trouble recalling the simple details of them. How exactly did it feel? How exactly did it look? How exactly did it smell? Her mind may have been tricking her all these years.  
Most of all, she missed her family. She longed for her Father's arms to hold her once again, she longed for her kingdom that once rested on his shoulders, where everything was peaceful and perfect. But what she longed for the most, was just to be in control again. If she could turn back the clock, if she could go back even a few ticks, she would. If only she could be truely free once again. The feeling she had always had before "Lord" Zarkon had arrived in her star system. He ruined everything for her. He took her home, he destroyed her family. She truly hated him with every bone in her body.

At this point, she rose from her sleeping chamber. She quickly admired the companionship from her mice, and took cautious steps to the dining hall. It was early in the morning, and the humans were surely not awake yet. The crew were all late sleepers, except for shiro, the eldest and most experienced of the pilots. But she did not expect him to be up quite this early, either. However, when she turned the corner of the lengthy hall, she was surprised to see Lance sitting at the end of the table. Out of all the pilots, she expected him to be the last person to see awake this early. Unlike Hunk, he was a very picky eater, and unlike Keith or Pidge, he wasn't very smart and had no presumable idea of ANY intellect in that swollen head of his. She could only see the back of his head, but she easily knew all the pilots hair. His was very straw-like, thin, and long, with a dark brown colour to it.  
"Good morrow, Lance. What are you doing up this early?" She stated calmly, pressing her hand on his right shoulder as she rounded her way around the corner of the table. He seemed startled by the voice and sudden contact with her hand, as she felt his body jolt as he quickly wiped away at his face.  
"Oh, Allura, it's you." He said softly with puffy eyes and a soft smile. "I could ask you the same thing, princess."  
Allura had to take it all in for a tick or two. He was being very sincere in this moment, which was very out of character for him, since most afternoons he would remark with a twang of selfishness and a tone of callous. Allura had known something was wrong with Lance from earlier days, as he no longer gave snide remarks to Keith, or argued with anyone. It seemed no one had noticed, but she had. Being a princess, she was taught to notice the small things, because those will end up mattering the most.  
"Ah, I suppose you have the right to do so," she smiled, running her fingers through her fair hair. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately, is all." She stated a bit louder this time. She had also learned through her father that the way to get others to open up, is to open up yourself first.  
Lance nodded knowingly, his hands shifting uncomfortably across the table. He did not meet her gaze, and only stared in front of him.  
"What's wrong, princess?" He said warmly, not breaking his gaze with the table.  
"I suppose I could ask you the same thing," Allura smiled, now making her way to the machine that prepared the meals. "But, I will tell you anyway." She stated, her gaze towards him finally broken, as she began to order her meal.  
"I've been thinking of the past too much lately. My dreams aren't safe anymore; as they used to be the only thing that brought joy to my life, now they too are disappearing in front of my very eyes." Allura felt her hand become moist, as she realized she had let the bowl begin to overflow. "Oh, shoot," she mumbled, and began to walk back to the table with her eating utensils and meal. "Anyhow, I've been forgetting the past lately, and it is truly terrifying. I've forgotten how father's voice sounds, and how home used to look outside. I know memories don't last forever, but it would be nice if they could. If only father's AI could have been saved somehow, but I realize it was for the greater good that it was destroyed."  
Allura now sat across the table from Lance, as they just stared at one another for a moment.  
"I'm sorry, Allura." Lance looked sincere in this moment, his deep eyes foggy and tired. She had wondered about his sleeping schedule, or if he had been perhaps.. crying. But that was so unlike Lance to let feelings other than lust shine through. Perhaps it was possible, just perhaps.  
"I know it must be hard for you to put others above yourself. Especially when you had to say goodbye to the one you loved the most, or even just a part of him. But I know that the pilots, Coran, and I all are very grateful to putting our lives before your home. And I am really sorry that you had to make that decision."  
Allura just blinked. She had never thought the crew would thank her for her sacrifice, as it was her choice in the first place that had put them in the life or death situation.  
"Lance, thank you for that." Allura smiled widely, stirring around her food. "Theres something I should tell you about the blue lion that you pilot," she stated, taking in a mouthful of her breakfast.  
"What is it?" He asked, eyes piercing and cold.  
"The blue lion is supposed to be the easiest lion to pilot, it is the one that is most understanding to new pilots, and isn't very picky about whom it's pilot is. However, that is what I thought before I met you. Now I realize something great about the blue lion."  
"Yeah?" Lance says, a little discouraged from her words.  
"Do not be upset, Lance. The blue lion is the most compassionate lion. He has the most heart. His pilot must also have heart and be willing to give his all for others. He is friendly and understanding, and most of all, the blue lion is loving. He wants the love of others, and will love just as much back."  
Lance broke his glance with the table and stared deeply at Allura.  
"Thank you, Allura, for your.. er, inspiring speech." Lance pushed out of his chair and rose. "But I haven't had any rest yet, so I guess I should get some shut eye before any training we do tomorrow."  
"Ah, yes, I agree. Good night, Lance." Allura smiled, but quickly shifted her eyes down.  
"Yeah. Thanks," Lance nodded, turning the corner of the cafeteria area to the next hall over. At this moment, he had never felt so sick to his stomach. "Fuck," he breathed, as he pressed against the wall for support.  
"I can't do this shit anymore."


	2. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance knew what it felt like to hit rock bottom, and frankly, it was coming soon.
> 
> TW; implied homophobia, depression, self doubt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW; implied homophobia, depression, self doubt
> 
> Wow! I'm really thankful for the praise I've recieved for this story! I certainly am glad the lot of you are enjoying it.
> 
> Also, this fic is going to be a playlist as well, based on the songs each chapter reminds me of, so maybe you can find new music to listen to just as well.
> 
> First Chapter: "Sleepless" by CAZZETTE  
> This Chapter: "Wake Up" by EDEN
> 
> Again, thank you for the high praise and criticism! It is very appreciated.

Lance had known what it had felt like to hit rock bottom, and frankly, it was coming soon. He was so scared to tell anyone what he had been thinking these past few weeks. His feelings had just been overwhelming him to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. If only he could keep up this façade he had going, or at least until he had clearly sorted out his thoughts in his head. He gathered his bearings and walked back to his room in silence.

As he finally settled back down in his room, he began to slightly calm down. What first arose in his thoughts was how he could empathize with Allura. He too, as did all the voltron pilots, missed their families.  
He missed coming home to his mother after a long day of school to her warm embrace and a freshly baked fruit pie. Lance missed the cool rain and the fog that accompanied it. He missed the rainboots and splashing around in puddles, he missed the lush green grass of earth. Hell, he even missed that god-awful flight instructor boxing his ears when his team failed a flight simulator.

All he could do was breathe. He was terrified of saying the words that he might be. It made him want to smash his head into several walls, many times. He could never face his family if he actually was..  
"God DAMN IT." He shouted, slamming his fist into the wall of his sleeping chamber in pure rage. "I'm NOT. I CAN'T be.." he said in a decrescendo, "I just can't.."

He could feel the tears now. As his hands shook, he sulked back to feel anything sturdy. Lance slid to the ground, using the wall as a support, covering his face with his hands, full of disbelief.

"What would mama say," is all Lance could think through tears. He could certainly hear her now, red faces and upset.  
"They're just heathens, Lance. All of them. Keep your distance from those people. They aren't natural. It isn't natural."  
Lance's shoulders shook harder at the thought of what she would say to him if he really was.. but.. he wasn't.. was he? His thoughts were jumbled, and he felt his wall of stability begin to crumble. He had never necessarily agreed with his mother's stance on that subject anyway, he had always believed to each his own. Whatever other people were didn't affect him much, as it didn't apply to him. He didn't much care about the thoughts of others around him, or at least he used to.

"You're no son of mine."

Lance could see it all blurring away from him now. His feelings pooling away in large droplets of tears falling from his cheeks. His voice wavered softly as he externally argued with himself. His right hand throbbed from the brute force he had used on the wall earlier. His knuckles had taken on a dark purple colour from the severe bruising.

"I'm fucking disgusting," he laughed quietly, staring at his hands that used to be so familiar to him, but he didn't know who they belonged to anymore. All of those other girls he was with.. and he had never felt this way about any of them. For what reason had he done that..? Toyed with the hearts of others? If this was how it felt to them, he no longer wished this pain upon anyone. Was he with them just to please everyone else? Had he done that for reassurance on his sexuality?

"All those girls," he chuckled, wiping away at moist cheeks. "Holy fuck. And I never loved a single one."  
He just couldn't think straight. He didn't know if he was that anymore. Lance was just so surprised that out of all people, the first person he felt this strongly for was--

A harsh knocking came at the door. Shit.

Lance quickly wiped the remaining tears from his face with his left hand, recomposing himself as the bay doors opened.

"Lance!" He heard Shiro shout as he darted inside the room. "Wake up, now! We have to--"  
Shiro stopped dead in his tracks to see Lance, already awake, looking like a tired mess standing before him.

"Well, uh, good morning, Lance. You might want to head down to the dining hall soon and eat something before Hunk ingests everything in that room." He chuckled at his own joke, before glancing slightly to the right. "What is THAT?" Shiro questioned, stepping towards the fist-shaped dent in the wall and caressing it with his palm.

"Oh, uh... that's always been there. I'm pretty sure."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, definitely. No joke. It's always been there," Lance stated, stretching his arms.

"Lance! Come here, what the hell happened to your hand? You need medical atten--"

"Oh, well, uh, look at the time, Shiro!" He said, pointing to an invisible watch on his wrist. "I really should be getting changed into my suit and you should be eating breakfast, don't you think?" Lance said hurriedly, pressing his left hand on Shiro's back to push him out the door.

"Well, hang on now--"

"Ah, so glad you agree! See you soon, Shiro!" Lance stated cheerily, practically shoving Shiro out of the hanger door. He exhaled deeply as soon as the door shut, relaxing a bit since Shiro had finally left.  
But even after all of that, his mind could only clearly focus on one thought.

Keith.


	3. Shadows & Ivy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The distance between us; the size of a planet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter actually has two songs, being as long as it is. It was originally supposed to be two separate chapters, but breaking them was very difficult to do for some reason. 
> 
> "Shadows" by Red, suggested by Saraku  
> "Ivy" by SALES
> 
> (also, I was extremely tired when writing this chapter last night. So if you see any mistakes please let me know and I will surely fix them!)
> 
> So, today this chapter is brought to you by worried space dad™. Enjoy!

Shiro was taken aback by the entirety of the situation, but hey, he could put two and two together. The kid had punched a wall. It was clear to see that much. Without a doubt, something was up with Lance, but this time, Shiro just couldn't figure it out. Nevertheless, he was worried for the kid. He has decided to keep a close watch on him from here on out.

He probably could have stayed behind and waited for Lance to finish changing, so that he could have accompanied him to the dining hall; however, by the looks of it, he didn't seem to be in much of a mood for companionship. Shiro also did not want to compromise the trust of one of his team members. Honestly, he was just afraid to lose another crew, especially after his encounter with the Galra in the past. He just couldn't bring himself to do anything that could possibly break his fellow paladin's trust.

Once more, Shiro contemplated knocking and asking if he was alright, but he decided against it. With a sigh of defeat, Shiro began to trudge towards the dining hall.

 

"No luck with Lance?" Pidge questioned at Shiro's return to the dining hall, who had arrived as he had first gotten there. Alone.  
"Yeah," Shiro said calmly at Pidge, taking his place at the table. "I woke him up and he's getting dressed now."  
"Man, that guy sure does sleep late." Keith noted, watching Hunk practically devour another bowl of space goo.  
Shiro shrugged lightly at the interaction with the others, as he remained pondering about his encounter with Lance.  
"Well, good morning, sleepy head." Keith practically sneered at Lance from across the room. "Glad you could join us princess."  
"Aw, boo frickin' hoo." Lance remarked back in a softer tone, stretching lightly. "So, are we gonna train or what?"

Now that Shiro had known something was wrong with Lance, it was easier to pinpoint the drained energy he had. He wasn't quite as spunky as when Shiro first met him. Now clearly visible to him were tired eyes, dark and unwavering, probably from exhaustion. He had wondered if he had not been sleeping well enough lately. It was for certain that most humans need a steady balance of eight hours of sleep at night, but with the paladins' busy schedules to defeat Zarkon, on a good day they were permitted about six. Perhaps it was that Lance had nightmares or something? He could empathize with that. He too had many sleepless nights while upon the Galra ship, as his dreams haunted him with memories of the day before. With the fall of darkness became many night terrors and restless thoughts in his mind. He could surely relate with Lance there, if that's what was truely going on, anyway.

"Right, paladins," came Coran's humble tone, cutting away Shiro's thought process. "I was thinking of today retesting the castle's defences. After that nasty attack from the Galra a few moons ago, this is a perfect opportunity for you to practice forming Voltron properly and dodging pesky missiles and lasers!" Coran made a soft "pew, pew!" noise with his finger guns before taking a moment to laugh at his own joke, earning many eyerolls from Keith and Pidge.  
"Now," Coran cleared his throat before continuing, "I shall have you know that the last paladins we had were able to form Voltron even without the heat of battle! Unlike the lot of you, who can only prepare him when someone has a near death experience," he laughed again, "but hey! With more extensive training, the lot of you will be a lot better than the other paladins we had. So good luck!"

\---

The feeling of just sitting in a lion was exhilarating. Knowing that the most powerful weapon in the universe was at your command was just invigorating. Especially being the commander of all that power that was invested in the Lions and Voltron itself. Or at least it was for Shiro, anyway.

He enjoyed the feeling of being in a heated battle, standing along side of such villigant crew members, and fighting the most cunning of enemies. Shiro enjoyed the feeling of just being called a defender of the universe.

However, today was not such a smooth running day.

 

"C'mon, Pidge, look out! Left flank incoming!" Keith shouted through the headset, as Pidge struggled to shake a middle that had locked his sets on his lion.  
"Gotcha, buddy!" Hunk confirmed, throwing his heavily armored lion into the oncoming trajectory weapon. As the missile impacted with the yellow lion, little damage was taken, but sparks still flew.  
"Thanks, Hunk," Pidge said sincerely, shifting his lion into high gear.  
"Anytime!" Hunk yelled with enthusiasm as he propelled a few more attacks from his lion towards the oncoming blasts.  
"Alright, team! I think it's time to form Voltron!" Shiro encouraged, shifting the black lion's path towards the sky. The team had scattered shouts of excitement, as all lions were now facing the open sky above, ready to form Voltron at any moment.  
"Yeah!" Hunk yelled, as each of the pieces of voltron slowly began to come together. But this time, something was.. off.

Shiro's lion seemingly growled in frustration, as the black lion refused to shift into the torso and head of voltron. Despite seeing Pidge, Keith. And Hunk nearly all transformed below him, nothing was coming together.  
Lance's lion did not change at all. Still in a nose-up position.  
"Uh, guys? What's happening?" He heard Pidge ask meekly, as the pre-transformed pieces of Voltron began to fall out of the sky.  
"Fuck!" Shiro yelled. His mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts, and now he had ruined forming Voltron, putting the lives of his crew in danger.  
"De-transform! NOW!" Shiro barked his orders, while quickly planting the black lion in a nose dive, trying to grab ahold of Pidge's lion, who was currently stuck in the position of a half-assed arm.  
"How?!"  
"We never learned how to do that?!"  
"Why is this happening!?"  
Shiro could only listen to the cries of his crew as they plummeted lower and lower in the sky, falling out of his grasp.  
"LANCE!" Shiro yelled, as his lion barely grasped onto the tail of Pidge's lion with his unhinged jaw. As soon as he screamed his name, the blue lion planted himself in a nose dive to grab Keith's lion by his back right paw.

However, that left Hunk and his lion soaring to the ground. The paladins could only watch as the yellow lion crashed into the ground with brute force. As the dust settled, Pidge and Shiro landed safely on the ground, while Lance must have remembered to break too late, as the blue and red lion slammed into the ground.

"Lance? Keith?" Pidge yelled worriedly, escaping through his lion's open mouth as quickly as possible.  
Keith groaned slightly, prying himself out of his lion's mouth. "I'm fine, Pidge. Had a bit of a rough landing thanks to my Savior over there, but I'm fine." Keith removed his helmet, shooting daggers at Lance the entire time.

Shiro had ran as fast as he could over to Hunk's lion. The lion willingly opened his mouth to the pilot's pit, where Shiro unbuckled him and dragged him outside. Keith helped prop his motionless body on the side of the lion, as Shiro removed the pilot's helmet from Hunk's head.  
"Hunk.. hey, Hunk.. are you okay in there? Can you hear me?" Shiro asked worriedly, shaking his shoulders lightly.  
Hunk coughed weakly and groaned, as Pidge sighed with relief from the response of his friend.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Shiro." Hunk said weakly, shifting his seating position. "That lion of mine sure can take a beating, but.." he stopped for a moment as his gag reflex kicked in. "I'm just a little motion sick. And hungry," he added with a weak chuckle.  
"Oh, Hunk," Pidge planted a soft punch in his shoulder. "You're always hungry."

A sigh of relief then passed over the paladins.  
"Now that that's over.." Keith said passively, sticking a finger right in Lance's chest, "What the hell is your problem then? You enjoy putting other people's lives in danger by not thinking straight?"  
Everyone was taken aback by this. Pidge and Hunk couldn't help but stare in awe as Lance took such a verbal beating from Keith without saying as much as a word back.  
"HEY!" Shiro said, pulling Keith back by his shoulder and standing between the two of them. "That's enough. I'm at just as much blame as Lance is. I wasn't thinking about forming Voltron either. We're just lucky that no one's hurt."  
"Yeah, well, Bluey over there didn't think once about forming Voltron! Your lion at least began to change," Keith sneered back at Lance, maintaining eye contact, even with Shiro in his way. Lance said nothing, and continued his gaze on the ground.  
"And besides, at least you have the balls to admit you did something wrong! Lance here hasn't even tried to talk this whole fucking time--"  
"I'm sorry." A weak, shakey voice emitted from Lance. "I'm so fucking sorry. I fuck up everything I do--"  
"Hey," Shiro said calmly, "that's enough of that. We all need a little break, okay? Everyone here is being a little temperamental is all." He grabbed Lance's shoulder with his hand and have a light squeeze, while making eye contact with Keith. "Everyone, let's hitch the lions and go back inside, okay?"

\---

Shiro had talked to Coran and Allura, who had seen and heard everything through the security cameras and the paladins' headsets. They both agreed that they all deserved a bit of a resting period, to sort out the problems with the paladins.

Lance was sitting by himself on the couch in the common room, his knees tucked into his chest, hiding his face. Shiro quietly took a seat next to him.  
"You know, Lance.." he said calmly, putting a hand on his shoulder gently, "We're all here if you need to talk to someone. It may not feel like it right now but we all care about you. Even Keith cares about you."

At that, Lance lifted his head a little, showing an exhausted, worried face. "But you heard what he said. And it's true, too. I am just a fuck up." Lance breathed softly, as Shiro's expression grew more determined.  
"The only person who said or even remotely thought you were a fuck up was you, Lance." He sighed, rubbing the kid's back in small circles. "You are your own worst enemy."  
"And the Galra." Lance added, which Shiro couldn't help but chuckle at.  
"Yes, and the Galra. But you understand what I'm trying to say, don't you? That none of us would ever think poorly of you, ever. We're a team now, Lance. We have to learn to love and accept one another unconditionally." Shiro said, looking directly at Lance. "So whatever it is thats pulling you down into this funk, you don't have to believe in it anymore."  
"But what if it's one of our 'team'?" Lance said quietly, recoiling in the seat a bit.  
Shiro pondered for a moment. "You mean Keith, don't you? Why? Is his rivalry with you too much to bear?"  
"N-no, it's not that at all. Its just that.. I think I might.."  
Shiro couldn't help but smile a little."Let me stop you right there. You don't mean.. you like Keith, do you?"

Lance buried his face deep into his knees, nodding slightly.  
"Aww, c'mon, Lance. Don't be shy. Crushes happen to everyone."  
"No!" Lance shouted. "This way.. what I've been feeling lately.. it isn't.. right.." Lance said, his body beginning to shake slightly.  
"Hey," Shiro said, patting his back for reassurance. "Who told you that?"  
"My mom."  
"Oh, c'mon. We've all had flings like that. It doesn't matter whether you're the most devout Christian or some monk out in the mountains. All of us have had at least thoughts like that before."

Lance picked up his head a little. "Wait. Shiro, even you?"  
Shiro sighed and wrung his hands together. "Yeah, kid. Even me. I was a cadet in the academy like you once. A cargo pilot trainee. I met a technician named Matt and we.. uh. Well, you know. Messed around for a few months." Shiro exhaled deeply with a wistful look on his face. "Ah, good times. Didn't last though, I left him behind when I moved up to fighter pilot rank."  
"No way."  
"For sure."  
Lance eased up a little at now knowing that thoughts like this happened to a lot of people, but..  
"I still feel like a traitor.. to my mom. I mean, if she ever found out I had thoughts like this, she'd--" he choked on his words, "disown me."  
"Look, Lance. I get it. Family is an important aspect of your life, but sometimes you've got to drop the toxic people in your life, no matter who they are to you. If they stand in the way of your happiness, they surely aren't worth it."

Lance pondered about this for a moment. It was good advice, but his mom meant the world to him.  
"I just don't know, Shiro.."  
"Yeah, I know kid. These feelings that you're having right now aren't just going to disappear just because I gave you some second hand advice. Sometimes you've got to come to realize things yourself, Lance."  
"Thanks, Shiro." Lance said, as his lips finally curled into a small smile. Shiro patted his back gently, "No problem, Lance." He whispered, now standing and putting some distance between them.  
"Now," Shiro said, stretching his legs, "for the love of all that is good, go put some ice or something on that hand of yours. It's disgusting to look at." Shiro laughed lightly.  
"Okay, I guess I will." Lance said, cradling his wrist a little as he began to walk towards the dining hall. He had just turned the corner of the right wing, when a hand grabbed his shoulder with a little force. Lance quickly turned to see who it was, and he felt his body freeze in place.

"Lance. We need to talk."


	4. Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His fingers were intricate and soft in their craft. Lance quietly wondered if he was used to this type of thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Been a long time. Sorry, due to personal reasons, I gave myself a bit of a break, but as always, thanks for the continuous support and critism! It's always appreciated.
> 
> Song for this chapter: "Me" by the 1975.
> 
> "Oh, I think you did something terrible to your body.. don't you mind..?"

Lance couldn't help but flinch at the unexpected touch. After he had felt the hand grasp at his shoulder, after he heard the cogency of the voice.. he immediately knew who it was.

"Look.. I should really apologize to you."

Lance's eyes widened at his remark. He couldn't help but turn now, just to see his facial expression. Was he showing sarcasm or sincerity..?  
He turned slowly to face his body towards Keith's, and met his dark gaze.

"Listen.. when I said all that stuff back there, I don't know what I was thinking. There's just some stuff on my-- holy shit, what happened to your hand?"

Lance quickly thrust his arm behind his back. He had been thoroughly enjoying the apology, and he had felt a pang of regret when Keith had noticed his mangled fist.

"Nothing," he stuttered out, but Keith's strength was a force to be reckoned with. He felt the warmth of his hands grabbing his shoulders, and turning him around with brute force. He didn't see the point in fighting back with him at this point.

"What the fuck did you do?" He said with a surprising amount of concern. Keith grasped Lance's forearm with a gentle grip, as he ran his fingers over the intricate bruising over the knuckles.

"It was an accident."

\---

His fingers were soft and intricate with their craft. He wondered if he was used to this type of thing.  
Before Lance had even become aware of the situation, he stormed off into the common room, with Lance's wrist delicately in his hand.  
Keith had perched him atop of a counter, and begun to pull things from miscellaneous drawers. He withdrew a cream and begun to massage it gently into the newly formed callouses on his knuckles.

"Have you always been into the medical field?" Lance inquired softly, wincing a bit at the touch. He seemed very informed of types of medicines and creams, so it had made him curious.

"Not necessarily. I just learned a few things from taking care of my own ass for so long."

The two sat in silence for a moment after that, as Keith finished up. He began to unravel a bandage and trailed his fingers to the tips of Lance's. He gently began to wrap.

"In what I was saying earlier," Keith said softly, not looking up from his work, "I'm really sorry about that, Lance. Sometimes my anger just gets the best of me, and I shouldn't have let my petulance outshine my moral judgements.."

Lance nodded in understanding. "No, it's really fine. I shouldn't have let my emotions rule me when my teammates lives are at stake. It was stupid of me, and I'm sorry."

Keith stopped for a moment and looked up. "Honestly, you don't need to be so humble. Things happen to the best of us.. and if you need to talk to someone, Lance.."

Keith and Lance met eyes, and Lance noticed just how pretty Keith's eyes really were. He noticed the darkness of the pupils and iris' contrasting with the whites of his eyes, and how his chiseled features made Keith seem more like a work of art than a human.

He stopped his own train of thought, as he felt hot tears rise into the corners of his eyes.

".. You can always talk to me."


	5. Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Give me the strength to go on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy late holidays, guys. As always, thank you for the support and critism. It's always so highly appreciated.
> 
> This chapter is loosely inspired by "Forget" by Pogo. Please enjoy!

He couldn't help but sigh into his pillow wistfully. He curled his body into an impenetrable fortress, meant for his thoughts and his feelings. Lance could only pretend that he was not embarrassed for short spouts of time, before feeling his face redden and his memories recollect themselves.

"Damn," he said quietly, smothering his face further into the oasis of sheets.

He wasn't sure what time it was now, and he didn't know if he wanted to, but in spite of himself, he stood up.  
After all was said and done, he just wanted some fresh air. His thoughts made his brain bask in a fog of confusion. Lance couldn't help but recall the feeling of Keith's fingers, steady at work, tracing the outlines of his knuckles. His brown eyes, full of determination, and their unwavering gaze. 

"I shouldn't be thinking like this. I shouldn't be thinking of him like this."

With his mind leaving a trail of thoughts behind him, Lance stepped through the hangar door. Once again, a familiar presence graced him, but this time, it wasn't a living entity.

His fingers trailed upwards of the cold metal. In this unfamiliar situation, it seemed to be the only thing he could really rely on.

His lion.

As tiring as it all felt, the constant fighting, the unrealistic scenerios they had all been placed in, he constantly sought after comfort in his companion.  
Although their time together had been brief, he felt as if their meeting had been fate. And as Allura had confirmed.. it was. Somehow, this oddball of a pilot had been destined to meet the most forgiving and trusting of the lions.

He wasn't sure if it was all true, but he surely felt lucky to partake in this adventure. And whatever the hell their purpose truly was.

He sat tiredly on the front paws of his companion, and hoped that it's stability would somehow transfer into him.

"Querido Dios.." he muttered softly, running a hand through his hair. "Give me the strength to go on."

"You already have that within you." Echoed a faint voice, as Lance turned quickly to gaze upon his surprise visitor.


	6. Keylime Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "take me back to you back then,  
> I’m not who I was back then.  
> In the summer air I binge  
> to the thought  
> of you back then-  
> I’m not who I was back then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I generally update about once a month. I apologize for that, I really do. It just takes a while for me to put my thoughts into have coherent sentences.;; Also a mixture of work and school.  
> This chapter is brought to you by one of my new obsessions. "Keylime Pie" by Bent Denim. Enjoy!

At the sound of a voice, Lance repositioned his body towards the entrance of the dimly lit room.  
"What are you doing here?" Lance asked the figure, tracing his fingers along the cold metal of his lion.  
"I could ask you the same thing, you know,"  
"Technically not. This hangar has my lion in it, not yours, Keith." Lance said defensively, repositioning his seat on the lion's paw.  
"You got me there," He said softly, casually taking a few steps towards Lance.  
".. Well, if you're here, you might as well sit with me a while." Lance offered, shifting slightly to the side, "If you want."  
Keith shrugged lightly, taking up Lance's offer and promptly sitting beside him. Lance's breathing hitched slightly at the feeling of their legs brushing against each other.  
"Okay, now that we're comfortable, are you going to tell me why you're here exactly?" Keith asked, cocking a brow.  
"I'll think about it," Lance mumbled lightly, propping his elbows on his knees, and his face in his hands.  
"How long is it going to take you to think about?" Keith asked playfully, "I just need an estimate."  
"Call us back in about three days time."  
"Sure," He said lightly, examining the palm of his hand. "I just came out here to think, I guess. I just happened to pass by you and decided to follow you a bit."  
"That's creepy," Lance said with a trace of a smile.  
"Almost as creepy as coming out here and whispering to yourself."  
"Touché," Lance replied with a hearty chuckle.  
"I feel like it's been forever since I've seen you laugh like that," Keith said boldly, examining Lance with warm eyes.  
"Well, to be fair, we don't have much time to laugh anymore."  
"That's true, I suppose." Keith seemed rigid at this point, but his eyes still seemed familiar. They seemingly studied every point of Lance's face, managing to take it all in. Lance couldn't help but want to melt.  
"Lance," Keith said, breaking the small moment of silence, "What do you think is going to happen after we defeat Zarkon?"  
"What do you mean?" Lance replied softly, a bit confused at his serious sudden question.  
"I think about it a lot, so that's why I asked. I always wonder what's going to happen to Voltron after everything is.. over. What happens to the 'Defenders of the Universe' when the universe has finally been defended?"  
".. We go home, I guess." Lance exhaled, tracing the ground with his toe.  
"Do you miss it?" Keith questioned, resting his hand on his knee.  
"Miss what, exactly?"  
"Home."  
"Yeah, sometimes I do miss my family," Lance explained with a twinge of melancholy. "But I have you guys, so it's not so bad."  
"Hmm." Keith nodded.  
"What about you?"  
"Do I miss 'home'?" He asked as he met Lance's gaze.  
"Yeah." Lance studied his lips.  
"There's never been a home for me there."  
"There can be," Lance breathed, inching closer.

His lips were chapped, and his breath was hot. The kiss was rugged, but so was Keith. He didn't expect anything less than that. He just didn't expect it to happen so quickly. His eyelids fluttered shut, and his senses were heightened. He ran his hands through Keith's hair; which is something he'd always wanted to do. This moment felt surreal, natural, and unnatural all at once.

For the first time in a long ass time, Lance finally knew what was going on.

"Shit," Keith muttered softly, peeling away from the warmth, "I didn't know that was going to happen."  
"Me neither," Lance said, cupping his mouth with his hands, "I'm glad it did, though."  
Keith stumbled for a moment, evaluating the situation, before finally exhaling. "I am, too."

His hands grabbed Lance's face, pulling him back in. Intertwining his fingers with locks of his hair, studying every piece he could grab. His teeth pulled lightly at his bottom lip as he ventured back into fantasies he didn't know that he had.   
Lance pulled him in tighter, tracing his fingers along the sides of his waist, entranced with lascivious thoughts.  
In the moment, Lance was enjoying himself.  
In the moment, Lance wasn't sure if this was lust or love.  
In the moment, Lance didn't care.  
The only thing that mattered, was Keith.


	7. small update

hey! I'm probably going to be rewriting this old thing in a few weeks! Keep your heads up!!


End file.
